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Category:    Home > Reviews > Documentary > Sports Cars > Automobiles > TV > Maserati - Victory By Design (DTS DVD)

Maserati – Victory By Design (DTS)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B     Extras: C+     Program: B

 

 

For decades, the most underrated marque has been Maserati, a well-known name that has never had one of its production cars receive huge star status outside of auto circles and has even been often thought of as secondary to Ferrari.  Considering these cars often tried out more technology than Ferrari, that is wrong.

 

The Victory By Design series installment on Maserati helps set the record straight, with a focus on the thin line between the many winning racing models and their links to their street equivalents.  Those models featured include:

 

 

  • Tipo 26
  • 8CM
  • 4CS
  • 4CM
  • Tipo 8CTF
  • A6GCM
  • A6GCS
  • 250F
  • 300S
  • 450S
  • Tipo 61/Birdcage

 

The engineering and innovations they Maserati Brothers came up with in the early years set the tone for what is an amazing history of one of the greatest makes of all time.  The Birdcage model is great, including the paint and even numbering, while some Maseratis even show up that do not get driven.  The A6GCS, 300S (two of which are featured here) were most ahead of their time as far as the great current racers (street & track) are concerned.  This is again hosted by Alain de Cadenet, who drives the cars and talks about them, even when he is speeding down the highway.

 

Though originated on what looks like digital High Definition, then traded down to a PAL master, the anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is pretty good and like all the shows in this series, is shot by people who love these cars.  There is also stock footage, often of racing, in both color and black & white, but the program is produced in colorful color (you read that right) in the beautiful woods, amazing countryside and quite greenlands of England.  Then the DVD adds another impressive 5.1 mix, which is here in Dolby Digital, but really kicks in DTS.  Like the Aston Martin installment I am still showing off to friends (reviewed elsewhere on this site with Porsche, Ferrari, Jaguar and Alfa Romeo also on the site), the combination adds a whole new dimension to what a home theater system can deliver.

 

Again, these have extra footage you will not see on The Speed Channel and they do not broadcast in DTS.  Add the must-see, 23-minutes-long promo documentary for the initial six installments and you have a must-have DVD for serious car and DVD fans.  My only misgiving is that the print on the scene selection is slender and cool, but might not be a legible on some TV monitors.

 

It was too late for a comparison of the two luxury Quattroporte models, but this show never even covers the original and skipping luxury models has been the only true weak point of this entire series.  This and other DVDs from the series are only available from the manufacturer exclusively, so you can order and get more information at www.VictoryByDesign.com or call toll free at 1-877-466-6660 to get your hands on this great series.  It is nice to see Maserati get its due.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo

 


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